Coaching Staff

Brady Meeks - Varsity Head Coach

Coach Brady Meeks just finished his eighth year as Head Basketball Coach for the A-West Girls Program. He has been coaching Girls Basketball for almost 15 years with the past eight seasons at Arvada West HS. The CATS have 7 straight winning seasons with Meeks at the helm and this hasn't happened at A-West since the late 1990's. 

This past season, the Varsity Team went to its 2nd straight Sweet 16, something that hasn't happened at A-West in almost 30 years. In his second year (2019-2020), he coached the Varsity Team to their first winning season and first playoff victory since 2011. Three years ago (2022-2023), he led the Varsity Team to a great overall year, including beating Valor Christian, the #1 Team in the State. His overall record is 116-68 (2018-2026) and he has won 6A Jeffco Coach of the Year twice in his coaching tenure.

Coach Meeks graduated from Furman University in Greenville, SC while earning a BA in Business and Communications. He owns and operates a Real Estate Investment Company based out of Denver. 

Coach Meeks is blessed with a wonderful family consisting of his wife of 27 years, Katie, and children Rachel and Brooke. Katie is a Pre-School Teacher at Kids Discovery Days in Arvada, Rachel is a Nurse at Rose Hospital in Denver in the Labor and Delivery Unit , and Brooke graduated early with her Bachelors in Psychology, works at A-West, and will be helping the CATS as an Assistant Coach as well.

"My first 8 seasons at A-West have been awesome! My goal is to continue building the Program while helping the girls be successful on and off the court. My belief in hard work and “WE OVER me” will continue to be the backbone of this Program. Continued support from the administration and our parents will be a big reason for our success going forward....GO CATS!!!!"

madison manson - jv head Coach

Coach Madi Manson just finished her third season as an Assistant Coach for the Wildcats. For the 2026-2027 Season, she will be moving into the Head Coach for JV at AWGB. She was an AWGB Player from 2017-2021 and in 2019-2020 she played a huge part in the first winning Season and first Playoff Victory that AWGB had since 2011. Coach Manson brings a passion and knowledge of the game that greatly benefits our current Players and will be a great JV Coach for the CATS!

Laura kopald - level 3 head coach

Coach Laura Kopald just finished her third year as the AWGB Level 3 Coach. In her first 3 seasons at the helm, she has led the CATS to 3 winning seasons and tons of growth as well!

She attended Augusta Preparatory Day School where she played four years of varsity volleyball and basketball. Kopald led the volleyball team to back-to-back state championship titles, being named MVP and All-State both years. She also became the first girls basketball player in school history to pass the 1000-point scoring mark and was named an All-State, Senior All-Star, and three-time All-Region player. Her senior year in high school, Kopald was named the News Channel 6 Scholar Athlete of the Year, the Columbia County Spotlight Athlete, and the 2007 Female Athlete of the Year. Kopald continued her athletic career at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina where she majored in psychology and minored in sociology while playing both volleyball and basketball at a high level.

After college, Coach Kopald moved to Colorado where she began her career working with adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is also a Registered Behavior Technician and has worked with children with autism, providing one-on-one Applied Behavior Analysis therapy. Currently, she is working in a supported employment program where she provides job coaching services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Julie meurer - head varsity assistant Coach

Coach Julie Meurer is joining the AWGB Staff in 2026. She was an Arvada West Girls Basketball star while she played for the Wildcats and then took her talents to Weber State where she had an amazing career, including being inducted to the Weber State Hall of Fame in 2013. Coach Meurer brings a lot to the table for the CATS and is a huge addition to the Staff!

John Trinder - assistant Coach

Coach John Trinder just finished his eighth year coaching at A-West. He took over coaching the JV TEAM in 2023-2024 and has led the JV CATS to strong seasons the past 3 years. For the 2026-2027 Season, he will be moving into an Assistant Coach role for AWGB.

He was born in New York, but moved to Colorado when he was five years old. He attended college at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Colorado State University. He currently works at Brannan Sand and Gravel, a great company that cares for its employees like family. He has seven children, six daughters and one son, ranging in ages from 25 to 8 years old. His wife is an Arvada West alumna and they moved into the Arvada area in 2003.

"Sports have always been an integral part of my life. I grew up playing football, basketball, and baseball and continued playing sports throughout my adult life.  I enjoy watching all of my children play sports as well.  I’ve coached different sports, most extensively basketball for fourteen years at the youth, middle school, and high school levels and have also officiated high school basketball for over five years."

brooke meeks - assistant Coach

Coach Brooke Meeks is a new addition to AWGB this coming season. Brooke was a stellar AWGB Player for the CATS from 2019-2023. She played for D-III powerhouse Wartburg during her time in College and is looking forward to being able to help the girls improve their games as an Assistant Coach for all 3 Levels.